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The companies are helping to manage the project as well as provide market research and advice on urban design and planning.

The multi-million pound scheme hopes to bring the neglected quarter of the city, including Kings Square and the bus station, into the 21 century and there could be a new food hub and market.

King's Square in Gloucester

Councillor Paul James, leader of Gloucester City Council, which is the freeholder of most of the site, said he is confident the authority can now move forward.

“It’s very much just the council driving this now. We have to do this if we want to see it happen,” he said.

“We are focusing now on what is deliverable and what is the right thing for the city.

“This is our number one priority and in that sense it’s high on our list on what we need to spend money on.

“I want us on site as soon as possible, after the bus station is finished in September next year.”

Plans for the new bus station in Gloucester

In 2015 developer Stanhope was hired to bring about the retail-led regeneration but failed to sign a big shopping brand as an anchor tennant.

Because of this it would not submit a planning application by the deadline of March 2015 because of concerns of making the build commercially viable.

And now it's contract with the council is to be formally cancelled at city council meeting next week.

After public consultation where members of the public could choose the general design they would like, the authority has decided to move ahead with a mixed-use gateway scheme, rather than retail-led as previously.

As part of their work, which started in December 2016, the team hopes to have a business plan in place next month.

Next a team will be hired to put together a comprehensive planning application for March 2018.

If this passes, the authority wants to start demolition by the Autumn of 2018, with construction of the new buildings to start by 2019.

Specialists have also been hired to carry out a commercial assessment of the area to establish the demographic and profile of existing shoppers within the city.